All press release distribution services are not created equally. The features they offer, the extent of their distribution network, and of course the cost of each service varies. As a result of these differences, you'll notice quite a different response to the press releases you distribute. We've compiled a list of the best press release services below for you to read reviews of other customers as well as post your own reviews. The most expensive service may not be right for your company. Use the table and reviews to choose the best press release service for your needs.

Webwire is a web-based press release distribution service. They were established in May 1995 so are one of the oldest providers of web-based press releases in fact they claim to be the ‘original internet press release resource’ – predating their competitors. They distribute business, organizational and personal news releases and press releases online directly to RSS readers and search engines. The service is run by the Warmtone Corporation.

You are a moderately successful business or enterprise, you are doing quite well but you think that because you haven’t had any major events, sales drives, promotions, exciting new hires or any of the other myriad reasons to issue a press release – you don’t have any news to report

Wrong.

No matter what industry or business you are in, how many employees you have – you are regularly making news. With a bit of thought […] Continue Reading…

By implementing all of these strategies, you can drive more targeted and organic traffic to your site from the search engines, increase your company’s online conversion rates, and greatly improve the overall reputation of your business.
Backlinks

One of the SEO techniques that can catapult your website to the top of the rankings is building backlinks on authoritative pages. You should establish incoming links on webpages that are in the same niche as your website, and […] Continue Reading…

As a writer, sometimes circumstances or mood will force you to take the long way round when you are working on a press release, blog or other form of writing. We all like finding the most colorful sentence or clever phrase to describe our object but more often than not, a single word will suffice for your purpose.

This isn’t an accusation on your ability as a writer. Sometimes we take it as a professional […] Continue Reading…

This week’s post is one that drills us down to the basic mechanics of press release writing and one that can undo the best work of writers – the use, or misuse, of the humble apostrophe.
There are some specific rules for the use of the apostrophe but these are often misunderstood or misapplied.
Here are 10 handy rules for its use. These will keep your releases correct and current.

You’ve probably heard the scary statistics regarding small business failure rates. The truth is, 30% of small businesses fold within 2 years and 49% are finished within 5 years. The reasons for this are manifold. Perhaps the business model was unrealistic, the capital or audience simply were not there or else poor management ruined any chance of success. However, the main reason for small business failure is their inability to market themselves efficiently. The […] Continue Reading…

One of the things we tend to take for granted when we write press releases is the format they are placed in. Whether from years of experience or a casual glance at an email or wire service such as PR Newswire we see them as a Headline, possible sub-heading, dateline, paragraphs and notes to editors to finish off.

But in the age of Search Engine Optimization, Keywords, Tagging and Geo Location, is this still the […] Continue Reading…

How to Distribute a Good Press Release

A press release is an official statement issued to press such as newspapers, magazines, or online news distribution services that give information on a specific matter. These matters can be on any number of topics, but they are usually newsworthy events that aim to paint an individual or company in a positive light, or put a damper on negative events.

Press releases are a great way to grow a developing business, establish oneself as an authority in a given field or area of expertise, or recover from a disadvantageous situation. Nonprofits can even benefit from press releases, as they have been proven to increase donations. However, the process of crafting and distributing a press release can be tricky if one is uninitiated.
Below are 5 simple steps that guarantee a successful press release, regardless of whether it’s for a brand, company, or individual.

Write Your Press Release
This is the most important part of the press release distribution process. Getting journalists and readers to pay attention to your press release is critical. After all, what good is a press release if no one reads it? Writing an effective press release can be summed up in a few simple steps:
1. Write an Eye-catching Headline- The headline is even more important than the story itself. If you have a great story with a boring headline, it’s likely that no one will read it and your efforts will go to waste. To write a good headline, include a shocking statistic and use strong, harsh language. For Example: “New Product “X” Could Half Infant Mortality Rates”
2. Have a Noteworthy Story- Once you’ve commanded attention with your headline, be sure to write a great story. Think about what typically catches your eye. If you’re trying to attract the layman, avoid specific jargon. If you’re trying to attract industry professionals, use as much jargon as you wish and spend little time explaining terms that they should already know.
3. Use SEO - SEO is a technique that’s commonly used in almost every form of online media. Put simply, it utilizes specific keywords pertaining to the topic in order to bolster the ranking of your release. Using SEO properly will ensure more readers. But, using it improperly can make your release seem robotic and awkward and decrease its rankings in the search engines.
4. Grammar and Spelling - Amateurishly written press releases paint the company or brand they speak for as unprofessional. If writing isn’t your area of expertise, hire a writer to do it for you. It’s usually not very expensive.

Contact the Press
Every press outlet has different rules for contact. Some even require that you mail a hardcopy version to them. After you’ve contacted the appropriate person, it may be a good idea to follow up every few days to keep from being forgotten. However, if you contact them too much, you could get annoying. If you get annoying, your email will be blocked and your release will be put in the trash.
In order to make your release more attractive to journalists, you should:
• Double space your release. It makes it much easier for the journalist to read and edit.
• Indicate when you want it published. Is it to be released as soon as possible, or later?
• Put notes to the editors at the bottom of the release; NOT the top.

Distribute the Release
First, decide if you can do it by yourself. If you have existing connections to large news outlets, tier 1 newswires, or have a large social media backing you may be able to distribute the release on your own. However, if you don’t have an existing relationship with the press or have difficulty contacting them, it may be in your best interest to find a distribution service to take care of the dirty work for you.

Free distribution services are usually worthless. They have lesser avenues for distribution and are usually barraged with a smattering of garbage stories that can bury your release. Pay for a good distribution service that has access to tier 1 newswires to ensure that your press release gets the traction it deserves. As a rule of thumb, any good press release service will answer any and all questions you have with little hesitation. They should also have testimonials, a slew of other paying clients, and can explain to you every detail of how your release will be distributed. Some press release services even bundle writing services in with them, so you could make the process even easier in the long run.

Be Accessible
Making yourself accessible is another important part of the press release distribution process. Being accessible to journalists makes them more likely to pick up your story in the future and can open up many more great press opportunities. If a few journalists wish to interview you or someone from your company, you should absolutely comply. An interview is a mutually beneficial arrangement that has the benefit of even more positive press for your company or brand, as well as strengthening your relationship with that press outlet. Be sure to manually follow up with the journalists who ran your release or derived stories from it. Having a good relationship with journalists is important as you’ll be on the short-list when you submit your next press release. Also, you can keep in regular contact with them via your social media accounts.

Don’t Over Saturate
Once your press release hits the streets, it may be tempting to share more in order to keep up “buzz”. However, even if your press release does well and journalists are clamoring for more, you should only write a press release once every two weeks at the most. Even if you have great content, you’ll desensitize your audience and eventually they’ll stop caring. This isn’t only limited to press releases, however. You shouldn’t be over saturating your social media platforms like blogs, Facebook, or Twitter to get your followers to read it either. Once is enough.

Choosing the Right Press Release Distribution Service for You

A news release, media release, press release or press statement is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. Typically, they are mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to assignment editors at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, and/or television networks. Commercial press release distribution services are also used to distribute news releases.

The use of a news release is common in the field of public relations, the aim of which is to attract favorable media attention to public relations professional's client and/or provide publicity for products or events marketed by those clients. A news release provides reporters with the basics they need to develop a news story. News releases can announce a range of news items such as: scheduled events, personal promotions, awards, news products and services, sales, accomplishments, etc. They are often used in generating a feature story or are sent for the purpose of announcing news conferences, upcoming events or change in corporation.

A media release is like a short newspaper article that one may send to different media outlets in order to gain interest in a writer's mind so that a story will be published about the organization in which one works for or the product which they are trying to promote. The persons reading the media release will be looking for stories that will interest their readers, viewers and listeners. An effective media release, just like creating a website that works well, tells a story that will interest a number of people. Small business press releases need to be about the story and just enough relevant information for the story to work. The release isn't the place to list all the benefits of the business.

Reading press release reviews is a great way to evaluate the effectiveness of a distribution service. Customer press release reviews are left on this site to allow people in need of a press release service to evaluate which services are best at distributing news and generating responses to the news item.

Using Press Releases To Generate Buzz Online

Press releases are a criminally underused method of increasing an online company’s visibility. In general, a press release is written as a means of announcing something newsworthy relating to a company or one of its products/services. Thanks to the internet, these releases can be distributed to dozens of different sites simultaneously. A press release is a great way of letting people know what’s happening in your company and is also considered to be one of the most authoritative sources of news.

SEO
If your site is not receiving the requisite traffic, you can forget about enjoying increased profits. You can use search engine optimization within your press releases to improve your overall search engine rankings. If you can utilize keywords that relate to your industry, expect your website to achieve a substantially better ranking because search engines rate press release content above almost everything else. Press releases look official and give a veneer of authenticity to the news that articles and blog posts cannot.

Brand Identity
You can also use a press release distribution to help build your company’s brand. They are an ideal way of getting more industry recognition, especially for companies starting out that are likely to have a number of newsworthy events to report on. With press releases issued periodically, you can ensure your company always stays in the news. This is much better than those ‘Grand Opening’ advertisements which are only effective for a short period of time before being forgotten. You can have press releases for your start-up, expansion, special offers and much more. This will advertise your company name several times thus increasing your brand identity.

Targeted Marketing
Instead of wasting time and effort attempting to market to the masses, you can use press releases to market to specific audiences. This instantly increases your conversion rate as consumers know that you are tending to their individual needs rather than offering a generic solution to a general problem. Regular advertisements rarely reach those on social media networks who should be a core element of your target audience. Press releases have the ability to be seen on all social networking sites and other forms of online media.

Social Media
You cannot overestimate the impact that social media has on the success of a company. There are hundreds of millions of potential customers at your fingertips. Press releases can be distributed on Facebook, Twitter and other online sites. A combination of targeting specific customers and access to a huge chunk of the world’s internet users equals a marketing opportunity that should not be passed up.

If you distribute a press release, make sure that you create backlinks to your company‘s website. Search engines tend to give good ratings to websites which have a number of links to them. As a result, you get a good search engine ranking and are safe in the knowledge that you have press releases with links to your site on dozens of sites with millions of visitors. You should view press releases as a viable means of increasing the speed with which your company grows online.